Into the Unknown
by Silvery Dire Wolf
Summary: Katniss decides that escaping District 12 is the only way to protect her loved ones. However, living in the forest isn't as easy for them as it is for her. Keeping them alive is no walk in the park, and Katniss begins to question her decision to lead them so far from home. Katniss/Peeta, Prim/Peeta's brother. Set during Catching Fire.
1. Chapter 1

I pack my bag with a heavy heart. Gale and his family won't be coming with me. He would rather stay in District 12 and aid in the rebellion. I'm taking my family with me, along with Peeta and his family, and Haymitch. Those are all the people I could get to leave their homes and follow me into the forest.

Once my bag is packed, I sling in over my shoulder and head out into the living room. Prim and my mother are waiting for me, carrying backpacks full of their belongings and medical supplies. "Alright, let's do a quick check. Prim has the flashlights, matches, and whatever food we have left." She nods, Buttercup clutched in her arms. "And Buttercup. Mom has the bandages and other medical supplies." She holds up the first aid kit. "And I have the weapons."

I throw open the door and walk out of the house without looking back. Haymitch is waiting for us outside, knife in one hand and backpack in the other. Good. Now the only ones left are Peeta and his family.

Haymitch motions toward Peeta's house in the Victors' Village. "He's not there. He went to the bakery." He grabs a bottle of white liquor from his bag, but I snatch it away from him.

"We need you to be sober." I pass the bottle to my mother and set off to collect Peeta. It takes us a lot longer to find the bakery in the dark, and I worry that Buttercup's cries will alert the authorities. Can't Prim keep that cat quiet? I shudder to think what the peacekeepers will do if they find us sneaking off.

Prim stops suddenly, pointing into the darkness. "Patrol," she whispers. Sure enough, three peacekeepers march by us, shining flashlights in the alleyways. We duck behind some crates conveniently placed near an abandoned house. The peacekeepers are being lead to our hiding place by Buttercup. I have to do something fast, or we could all be arrested for trying to escape.

Haymitch stands up, much to my annoyance. "I'll distract them," he says, stumbling over to the peacekeepers. "Can you point me to the nearest bar?"

The men exchange a glance before one of them speaks up. "It's past curfew." He notices Haymitch swaying on his feet, pretending to be drunk. "And I think you've had enough to drink."

"Now's our chance," I say, urging my family to move. We sneak down an ally not too far from the bakery. "I'll get Peeta. You two wait for Haymitch."

I smell the bread before I see the building. Peeta and his younger brother are waiting outside, facing away from me. Where is the rest of his family? "Peeta."

He spins around, eyes wide with alarm. I must have startled him, but he relaxes as soon as he sees me. "You came for us. I was starting to worry."

"I wasn't going to leave you behind," I reply defensively. His mother, father, and older brother are nowhere in sight. "Are the others almost ready?"

Peeta shakes his head. "They're not coming. My mother won't leave her comfortable life to live in the forest; my father won't leave my mother; and my older brother thinks I'm crazy."

I'm a little sad that the baker isn't joining us, but it's better this way. It will be easier to escape unnoticed with a smaller group. "Let's go." I lead them back to my mother and Prim. Haymitch isn't with them.

"Should we wait for him?" Prim asks, not wanting to leave anyone behind. She is stroking Buttercup's head, which seems to be calming him down.

"No," I say automatically. "He knows where to find us." The lake where my father used to take me is our meeting spot, should we get separated. I made sure to give everyone a map of its location.

We head toward the fence, slowing down to evade the authorities. I lead them to the broken area in the fence and let the youngest, Prim and Peeta's brother, go first.

"Ladies first," he says, motioning for Prim to go ahead of him.

She pushes Buttercup under it and then gets down on her hands and knees, crawling to the other side. He follows her, wincing as the fence scratches his back. Prim helps him to his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He touches the blood now staining the back of his shirt. "I'm fine."

The rest of us make it to the other side just as a light shines on the fence, lighting up our faces for the peacekeeper to see. "Hey! Stop!" He holds up what I think is a gun.

"Scatter!" I shout.

Everyone runs off in separate directions, heading for the trees. I lose sight of Prim as she follows after our mother. Peeta lags behind me, his prosthetic leg slowing his movements. I circle back to help him.

"Have you seen Lavash?" he asks. I don't recognize that name. "My brother."

I scan the area for the younger boy but can't find him amid the chaos. "He must be up ahead."

Shots ring out from behind, getting closer by the second. "They're hunting us down," I realize in horror.

"Leave me," Peeta says suddenly. "I'll only slow you down."

There is no way I'm letting the peacekeepers catch him. He will be tortured and then killed, and I don't want that to happen. I ready my bow. "No! We are in this together."

A shrill cry fills the air. "Katniss!"

I recognize Prim's voice in an instant. "Prim!" I have to do something.

Before I can move, Lavash bursts out of the bushes and runs toward the sound of her voice. "I'll help her! You stay with my brother."

I lead Peeta down the path to the lake, reassured by the fierceness in Lavash's voice. He will help my sister, I'm sure of it.

It takes us hours to reach the lake. My mother is already there, staring off into the forest. "Where's Prim?"

I sink to the ground with Peeta, thoroughly exhausted from running for so long. "Lavash went back to get her." I notice that Haymitch is still missing. "Haymitch isn't here yet?"

"No. I've been here for over an hour, and no one else has shown up until now," she tells me.

Just then, the bushes to the right of us start shaking violently. That can only be one of two things: the others or the peacekeepers. I grab my bow and prepare for a fight.

"Run!" Prim emerges from the bushes with Lavash at her side. "They're still following us!" The peacekeepers descend on us seconds later, guns raised and ready to shoot.


	2. Chapter 2

"Halt! We have you surrounded," the head peacekeeper informs us, aiming his gun at my mother. "Which one of you is the instigator?" He already seems convinced that my mother orchestrated the escape.

I raise my bow defiantly. "I am!" All guns are now pointed at me, giving the others a chance to flee.

Lavash takes my sister's hand and runs in the opposite direction. As guns begin to fire, I shoot an arrow at the head peacekeeper, catching him in the shoulder. That holds him off until they have disappeared into the trees with my mother.

Peeta pushes me to the ground as a gun fires dangerously close to where my head once was. He curls his body around me, protecting me from the bullets. He'll be shot dead if I don't act quickly.

I reach for an arrow and aim at the nearest peacekeeper, hitting him in the chest. Peeta continues to shield me as I pick off a few more of them. I see an opening and know that now is our last chance to get away.

I help Peeta to his feet and pull him along as we run after the others. I zigzag through the maze of trees, hoping to lose our pursuers. It's working. The sound of footsteps and gunfire is getting farther and farther away. I slow to a stop and allow Peeta to rest. He leans against a tree, gasping for air.

"Thanks," I say. "For saving me." I can never repay him for risking his life to save mine.

Peeta gives me a small smile. "You saved me by not leaving me behind. We're even now."

We take a few minutes to rest and then set off to find our families. I'm still worried about Haymitch, but he is bound to catch up with us eventually. I find a set of footprints leading away from the lake and follow them, knowing they were left by either Prim or Lavash. It doesn't take us long to find Prim. She is staring up into the branches of a small pine tree.

"Be careful!" she shouts into the air.

I'm about to tell her to keep her voice down when I spot Lavash in the tree. "I've almost got him." He is clinging to a branch that can barely support his weight, reaching for a clump of fur. Buttercup.

"Get down from there!" I can see the branch bending underneath him. "You'll fall."

Too late. There is a loud snap as the branch breaks away from the tree and falls to the ground, taking Lavash and Buttercup with it. The cat lands on his feet, unscathed. Lavash isn't so lucky. His arm is twisted in an awkward position, indicating that it is broken.

Prim scoops up Buttercup and rushes to Lavash's side, tears in her eyes. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have asked him to get Buttercup for me." She tentatively touches his arm, instantly finding the break in it. "Mom has the first aid kit."

I hear footsteps coming toward us. "We can worry about that later. Our first priority is to get out of here."

The poor boy has been knocked unconscious by the fall, so I help get him situated on Peeta's back. We decide to find the river and follow it upstream. The sun begins to rise by the time we reach it, sweaty and exhausted.

By now, Lavash is awake and in pain. We set him down by the river and clean the blood from his arm. Prim fashions a makeshift splint out of two sticks and a vine.

"Can I give him some food?" she asks me. "He doesn't know how to be hungry, not like us."

That's true, I guess. Peeta and his family have always been well fed. They have never had to worry about starving to death. "Alright. Give him something small."

She reaches into her backpack and grabs some cheese. "This is from my goat Lady. We had to leave her behind with Gale's family. They promised to take good care of her."

Lavash takes the cheese from her. "Won't you miss her?"

"I already do," Prim tells him sadly. "But she wouldn't survive out here."

He carefully splits the cheese in half and hands her a piece. "Let's share it. It's from your goat, after all."

Prim instantly cheers up. "Okay."

I'm glad that Lavash came with us. He is helping Prim cope better than I ever could. I sit beside Peeta and lean against his shoulder, allowing myself to relax for a bit. "Your brother is so nice."

"He was terrified of coming out here," Peeta says to me. "I told him that you had a sister about his age who was also afraid of the forest."

"That calmed him down?" I ask. I smile at the thought of two scared kids helping each other to be brave.

Peeta places an arm around me and rests his head against mine. "He was so excited to make a new friend. I think your sister gave him a reason to be strong."

We rest by the river for an hour before traveling upstream. We still haven't found my mother or Haymitch, but I try not to worry too much. Haymitch knows how to fight; and my mother, well, she knows about medicine. I hope they are together somewhere.

A bullet strikes the ground in front of us, spraying dirt into the air. The head peacekeeper stands before us, gun poised to shoot. How did he find us so quickly? I had assumed that the peacekeepers knew nothing about the forest, which would have made it easy to avoid them. It seems I have misjudged them. I aim my bow directly at him, ready to kill.

Peeta raises his hands and walks toward the head peacekeeper. "Don't shoot." He's protecting us.

I lower my bow and set it on the ground. They will kill him for sure if I remain armed. "Please," I add, raising my hands as well. I notice the bushes rustling behind him. More peacekeepers? No. It's Haymitch!

Lavash covers Prim's eyes so that she doesn't see Haymitch killing the head peacekeeper. He lets the body fall to the ground before pulling his knife out of the dead man's back. My mother walks up behind him, carrying both hers and Haymitch's backpack.

"He led us right to you," Haymitch says.

Prim runs over to our mother and gives her a big hug. "Mom! I was so worried."

"It's okay," she whispers into Prim's hair. "Everything is going to be okay."


	3. Chapter 3

We travel for miles along the river without stopping. I want to put as much distance between us and the other peacekeepers as possible. If they catch us, that's it. No trial; no escaping with our lives. We will be killed for sure. After all, I wounded several of them, and Haymitch killed the head peacekeeper. President Snow will show us no mercy for our crimes. We are fugitives now.

As night falls, I decide it's safe for us to set up camp. I unpack my sleeping bag and spread it out; Prim sets hers next to mine, guides our mother into it, and then crawls in herself; Peeta gives Lavash his blanket; and Haymitch sets his backpack down and sits beside it.

"I'll take the first watch," he says, grabbing a bottle of white liquor.

I roll my eyes but make no attempt to take it from him. I doubt the peacekeepers will find us now. As I get settled into my sleeping bag I notice Peeta lying down on the floor, shivering. "Doesn't Lavash have his own blanket?"

"No. I brought that blanket from my house, but I should have grabbed two of them. Our mother wouldn't let Lavash take one with him." He closed his eyes. "It's not that cold out, anyway."

That is a lie. The temperature is dropping fast now that the sun has set, and I notice that Peeta isn't wearing thick clothing. Of course he wouldn't know what to wear in the wilderness. I should have told him to pack something warm. "Come here."

Peeta hesitently crawls over to me. "Are you sure?"

I wordlessly open the sleeping bag and motion for him to get in. He carefully slides into it and wraps his arms around me. It doesn't take me long to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

I wake up at dawn the next morning, feeling rested and ready to go. I notice that Peeta and Haymitch are still sleeping. Prim is up giving Buttercup some water, and my mother is checking Lavash's broken arm.

"How bad is it?" I ask her.

She doesn't look up at me. "Not too bad. It'll heal in about three weeks."

Three weeks is a long time to have a broken arm in the wilderness. That means he can't hunt, or fish, or fight if need be. We'll have to find something else for him to do. "Prim, can you teach Lavash about edible plants?"

She stands up. "Sure."

"Don't eat anything unless you are one hundred percent sure it's safe," I tell her. I've been the one collecting edible plants since I was eleven, not Prim, but she has been eating what I've gathered for years. She knows what is safe to eat.

Lavash looks a little worried. "What if I accidently bring back something poisonous?"

"You won't," Prim assures him. "I'll be there to help you."

Now I just need to figure out what everyone else can do. "Everyone needs to play a part if we are going to survive. My mother will be the doctor; Prim and Lavash will be gatherers; I will be the hunter; and Haymitch will be the town drunk." Everyone laughs.

Haymitch opens his eyes at the sound of our laughter. "No. Haymitch will be the scout. You know, the one who checks the area for dangerous animals or peacekeepers. I'll kill them if I find them."

"What about me?" Peeta pipes up, startling me. I thought he was asleep.

"Well," I say, searching my brain for a suitable task. Peeta can do many small things like starting fires, but I want him to feel important. "You can be our strategist, the person who decides what we should do next."

Peeta considers this for a moment. "Alright. I'll do it."

We decide to have breakfast first and travel later. Haymitch does a quick patrol of the area while the rest of us get ready to eat. Prim and Lavash set out to collect berries; Peeta is making a fire; and I head into the woods to hunt.

I've never been this far into the forest before, so the animals aren't expecting me to hunt them. I see a rabbit is nibbling on some grass a few feet in front of me, indifferent to my presence. I quickly shoot it through the eye and go to collect my kill. I'll need more than that to feed all of us. I tread lightly across the fallen leaves and pine needles as I search for more prey. I spot two turkeys and kill them instantly. That should be enough for now.

Back at the river, Prim and Lavash are dividing up a huge pile of blackberries between the six of us. Haymitch and my mother are talking in hushed voices by the fire. I briefly wonder what they are discussing before returning my attention to my prey. I skin the rabbit and turkeys, and Peeta cooks them over the fire.

As we begin eating, Haymitch asks the question that is on everyone's mind. "Where are we going to go?" A long silence follows. No one has an answer to his question.

Peeta pops a blackberry into his mouth and chews it slowly. "Well," he says, swallowing the berry. "They will find us if we stay too close to District 12. I think we should head north."

"North?" I repeat. "We don't know what it's like up north."

"That's exactly the point, Katniss," he says. "If we don't know, then I doubt the peacekeepers do either. They won't be expecting us to travel so far from home."

Everyone agrees to head north. As we pack our supplies, I can't help feeling a bit worried about our situation. Lavash broke his arm, which prevents him from performing certain tasks; Peeta doesn't have anything to keep him warm; and Prim has Buttercup. All of these things can prove fatal if we're not careful.

Prim's voice brings me out of my thoughts. "He likes you."

Lavash is holding Buttercup with his good arm, and the stupid cat is actually purring. "Such a good kitty," he says, kissing the cat on the head. "You're so lucky, Prim. I've always wanted a pet."

I return my attention to my backpack in time to see Peeta slinging it over his shoulder. "As thanks for sharing your sleeping bag with me, I'll carry your backpack."

"Peeta..." If the nights continue to be so cold, I'll lose him to hypothermia for sure. It was my decision to take the others away from District 12, and I refuse to let any of them die as long as I can prevent it. And the thought of losing_ him_ hurts more than I care to admit. "Will you share it with me again tonight?"

Peeta doesn't hesitate to agree. "Of course."

I take the lead as we walk away from our camp and into unfamiliar territory. The forest gets more and more ominous the farther we travel, and I ready my bow to defend us from any dangers that lie ahead. Thorn bushes scratch our legs, and low hanging tree branches threaten to poke out our eyes. I am managing just fine, but Prim is constantly tripping over rocks and fallen branches. I notice that everyone except Haymitch is also having trouble navigating through the underbrush.

Prim shrieks as she falls into the dirt. Lavash sets Buttercup down and kneels beside her, helping her into a sitting position. He cleans the blood from her skinned knees. "It's alright," he whispers soothingly. "You're just a little scraped up. Nothing to worry about." His words seem to calm her down.

I quickly realize how much Prim and Lavash rely on each other out here. They are both frighten children who know very little of the world outside District 12. Haymitch, Peeta, and I were forced to leave our naivete behind when we entered the Games as tributes. We know what to expect from the wilderness, but they have no clue of the dangers the forest can hold.

We continue on for another few hours before stopping to rest in a clearing. Prim picks wild flowers and makes them into a small bouquet. She sees a butterfly, and Lavash catches it for her. They watch as it opens and closes its wings, blissfully unaware that Buttercup is stalking it. The cat leaps into the air and swipes at it, but the butterfly flies away before he can kill it. Prim laughs and hugs her cat. "Don't be jealous, Buttercup. We weren't trying to replace you."

Haymitch and Peeta are talking among themselves. "What should we do, boy? We've fled District 12, resisted arrest, and murdered a peacekeeper. You can't talk your way out of this mess."

"And I'm not going to try," Peeta replies. "All we can do is keep moving forward."


	4. Chapter 4

Storm clouds loom overhead, threatening to burst. The wind has picked up, and the temperature is dropping rapidly. It must be below freezing by now. Lightning illuminates the sky, followed by the boom of thunder. The storm is fast approaching, and every sensible creature has fled to their dens.

Our group got separated when the thunder began. The loud noise startled Buttercup, and he dashed off into the trees. Prim chased after him, of course. My mother promised to bring her back, but she hasn't returned yet. I didn't see where Lavash disappeared to, but I assume he ran after Prim. I called his name a few times, but he didn't answer. Peeta went to look for his brother, leaving Haymitch and I alone in the clearing.

Once our supplies are packed, all I can do is wait for the others to return. Minutes tick by, and no one has come back to the clearing. I'm starting to worry that they lost their way when something catches my eye. Lavash stumbles out of the trees, covered in dirt. Haymitch and I are at his side in an instant.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

Lavash dusts himself off. "Yeah." He takes a quick look around and frowns. "Haven't the others come back yet? Where is Peeta?"

Haymitch and I exchange a glance. "No one has returned but you," he says, trying not to alarm the boy.

"Peeta went looking for you," I add.

Lavash's eyes are wide with fright. "You mean... my brother and Prim are _lost_? What happens if they get caught in this storm?"

"They find shelter and tough it out," I say confidently. "Don't worry about Prim. My mother should be with her. As for Peeta, I'm sure he's fine." My words do little to calm him down.

"_We_ need to find shelter." Haymitch grabs as many backpacks as he can carry and heads into the trees.

I don't want to leave the clearing in case someone returns to it, but I also don't want to get separated from anyone else. I convince Lavash that Prim and Peeta will be fine, and we follow Haymitch into the forest. I try to ignore the sickening feeling I have that something terrible has happened to the others.

The rain drips down from the darkened sky before we can find shelter, and I begin to worry that we'll be caught in the storm. We need to find somewhere to stay dry, or we will freeze. Haymitch leads us to a cave that reminds me of the one Peeta and I shared during the Games. _Peeta, where are you? _I hope he isn't alone out there.

Lavash is trying his best not to panic. "Buttercup hates the rain. If he is hiding, then Prim will never find him."

"I'm worried about her, too," I tell him. "But she isn't alone. My mother is with her."

He shakes his head. "And what about my brother? Is he out there by himself? His leg..."

His leg? It takes me a moment to realize that Lavash must mean Peeta's prosthetic leg. "What about it?"

"The mud!" He points to the ground. Sure enough, the rain is turning the dirt into mud. "He will have a hard time walking in it. I have to find him."

I can't let the kid go out in this storm. No one knows how to survive in the harsh wilderness better than me. "I'll look for the others. You stay here with Haymitch." I quickly leave the cave.

Haymitch grabs Lavash before he can follow me. "Hurry back!"

The rain drenches my coat in a matter of seconds. All of a sudden, I'm terrified for Peeta and Prim. What if they _are _stuck out in this weather? What if I can't find them? My heart sinks when I realize the mud is up to my ankles. This is a flash flood.

"Prim!" I shout at the top of my lungs. "Peeta! Mom!" No one responds to my calls.

The wind threatens to blow me away, but I stand my ground and keep moving. I have to find them. I have to lead them back to the cave. The cave! The rising water will flood it in no time. I'll never find Peeta and Prim if I go back now. I can only hope that Haymitch managed to get Lavash and our supplies out of there.

I force myself to think rationally. Who will need my help the most? The answer is obvious: Peeta. His prosthetic leg will make it nearly impossible for him to get out of the flood. I'll have to worry about Prim later. She has my mother, but Peeta has no one to rely on.

"Peeta!" To my relief, I hear him shouting my name.

"Katniss!" Peeta is clinging to a tree with all his might. It doesn't look like he can move from that spot.

"Are you stuck?"

"Yeah! My leg is stuck in the mud." He makes no attempt to free it.

I notice the fear in his eyes. "It's okay. I'll help you." I kneel down beside him and assess the situation. His leg has sunk into the mud, which is preventing him from standing up. If the water continues to rise, then Peeta will drown.

"Are the others safe?"

His question startles me. Peeta should be worrying about himself, not the others. "Haymitch is with your brother. As for Prim and my mother... They are together somewhere."

"Go and find your sister. She needs you more than I do." He gives me a forced smile.

Does he really think I'm just going to abandon him? My mother will get Prim to higher ground, but no one is going to help Peeta other than me. He will be completely alone if I leave, and I refuse to let him drown in the muddy water. "Prim is _fine_. It's you who needs my help!"

"Katniss, I can't walk in the mud. You were having trouble moving in this weather, too. It's twice as hard for me. I won't make it." He sounds as if he has given up.

I reach down into the mud and yank on his leg, trying to free it. "I'm not leaving you to die, Peeta. Nothing you can say will change my mind." After a few failed attempts, I finally manage to free his leg. Now all that's left is to decide what to do next. Peeta can't walk, but can he climb? A large branch should be able to support his weight until I can think of a better plan.

Peeta gets to his feet. "What now?"

I look around for the largest tree I can find. The pine tree he was clinging to will do nicely. I scurry up to the first branch before he can protest. "We climb." I hold my arm out to him. "Grab my hand."

Peeta makes an effort to follow me up the tree, his hand outstretched, reaching for mine. Our hands clasp together, and I pull him up. This branch won't hold both of us, so I quickly move to the adjacent branch. "And now we wait."


	5. Chapter 5

The storm rages on for hours, and the water slowly rises below us. I'm getting more and more worried about the others with each passing second. Prim, Mom, Lavash, Haymitch. I hope they are doing better than we are.

"Do you hear that?" Peeta asks suddenly, dragging me out of my thoughts.

I focus on the noises around me. There's the rain, and the wind, and something I can't place. Is that meowing? I scan the area for the source of the sound, my gaze falling on an orange blob in a nearby tree. Buttercup is clinging to a branch, crying loudly for Prim to save him.

I point toward Buttercup's tree. "It's my sister's cat."

Peeta turns his attention to the cat. "What's he doing up there? I thought Prim would have found him by now." He gasps and points to the base of the tree. "Katniss, look there. Isn't that your sister?"

I look down, eyes wide. Sure enough, Prim is standing at the base of the tree, trying to coax Buttercup down from his perch. "Prim!" I shout. She doesn't hear me. "I'm going down. You stay here."

"No," Peeta protests. "I'm going with you. It's dangerous down there."

I swing my legs off the side of the branch, ignoring his protests. "You will only slow me down." I leap to the ground before he can respond. My feet sink into the mud, causing me to fall forward into the rising water. I scramble to get up, coughing and gagging. "Prim!"

"Katniss!" she calls back to me.

I make my way to her side just as Buttercup jumps into her arms. "Where's Mom?"

Prim doesn't look up at me. "You should see for yourself."

My breath catches in my throat. Did something bad happen to her? I glance back at Peeta. I can't leave him stranded in the tree. I stumble toward him in a daze. "We need to stick together."

Peeta can see my distress and begins to panic. "What happened?" He wastes no time climbing out of the tree and splashing into the mud beside me.

"We'll find out," I say.

Prim leads us up a steep incline. The water from the flood flows downhill, draining out into the area we just left. The mud makes it hard to walk, so I let Peeta lean on me for support. It takes us about ten minutes to arrive at a thicket. Prim sets Buttercup down and crawls between the dense bushes, motioning for us to follow. "She's in here."

Peeta and I crawl side-by-side into the thicket. Wet leaves cling to our bodies as we make our way inside, but I'm too preoccupied with thoughts of my mother to take much notice of them. It's not long before I see the outline of her body. She appears to be in a peaceful sleep, but the bandages around her head suggest otherwise. Her backpack of medical supplies is propped up next to her.

"She fell," Prim explains, "and hit her head on a rock. I dragged her in here to get her out of the rain. This thicket was the only form of shelter I could find."

I gingerly touch my mother's cheek. It's so cold. There is absolutely nothing to warm her with, because all of our other supplies are with Haymitch. "How bad is the head injury?"

Prim gives me a look of uncertainty and fear. "It doesn't look too bad, but she has been unconscious for a long time. I don't know what else to do."

"It's okay," I assure her. "I'm sure she will wake up soon."

We wait out the storm in the thicket. Not much rain can get through the thick mass of leaves surrounding us, and the wind has died down a bit. The storm should be over soon.

Peeta has fallen asleep, his body shaking from the cold. I wish I had my sleeping bag to cover him with. I settle for lying next to him, allowing him to share my body heat.

Prim is cuddling Buttercup close to her chest, and he is purring into her soaked clothes. "Katniss," she begins, her eyes darting between our mother and me. "We need to dry off and get warm somehow."

I motion for her to come here, and she scoots into my open arms. "I know. We'll find Haymitch and our supplies as soon as the storm is over."

"It might be too late by then." Prim leans down to hug our unconscious mother, Buttercup still clutched in her arms. "She's freezing."

I brush my fingers across her frozen hand, and then I lean over to touch Peeta's hand. They're both so unnaturally cold. If we can't warm them up, this thicket will be their grave. "Peeta, wake up!" I shout, shaking his shoulders. His eyes flutter open in alarm, and I pull him into my arms. "Don't go to sleep. You might never wake up."

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

I turn my attention to Prim. "You have to wake her up."

She gently sets Buttercup beside her and grabs our mother's arms, shaking her. "Mom, wake up. Please." When she doesn't wake up, tears spring into Prim's eyes. "Mom, please! You have to get up! Mom..."

"She can't be... dead," I mutter, burying my face in Peeta's hair.

"No," Prim says, sniffling. "There's still a pulse, but why won't she wake up?"

I can't bring myself to look at my mother's injured body, her deathly pale skin. She is going to die, and it's all my fault. I should have known better than to bring her into the forest. I should have left here at home, where at least she would be safe from the cold.

"Prim... Katniss..."

I open my eyes and slowly, timidly turn my head to face her. My mother is staring back at me, and I offer her a small smile. At least she is alive.

Prim kisses her cheek. "I'm so glad you're okay. We thought you were..." She lets her sentence trail off, afraid to finish it.

Our mother wraps her arms around Prim, calming her down. "I won't ever leave you."

I give her a quick hug before pulling Peeta back into my arms. There is a faraway look in his eyes, and I fear that he won't last much longer. I need to warm him up somehow, but that's kind of hard when I'm freezing too. "Haymitch has our supplies," I tell them. "We need to find him as soon as possible."


	6. Chapter 6

My mother slowly sits up and places a hand to her bandaged head, trying to assess the damage. "I'll be fine," she says after a moment of silence. She reaches out to touch Peeta's forehead. "He's freezing! We need to get somewhere warm." She checks his breathing, which is shallow, and then she checks his pulse. "It's weak. He has hypothermia," she says seriously.

This is what I was afraid of. Hypothermia is a killer. "Let's get him back to Haymitch!"

My mother crawl out of the thicket as I drag Peeta outside. She seems to notice that Peeta has stopped shivering, a sign that the hypothermia is getting worse. "Warm him up. _Now_."

What does she expect me to do? I rub my hands along his arms, trying to warm them. "Is this good?"

Prim joins us a moment later, shaking her head. "It would help if you shared your body heat with him." She bends down to pick up Buttercup. "I mean, if you two striped down and cuddled or something."

I stare at her in utter shock. It's true that the best way to share body heat is without clothes on, but I can't do that. It would be too awkward. I weight my options carefully. Either I deal with the awkwardness or let him freeze to death.

Prim notices my shock and adds, "it's the only way."

"It's okay," Peeta says. "I'm fine."

We walk in silence for the next few miles, and I can't help feeling ashamed by my own reluctance. Had I really considered letting him die as opposed to being naked around him? It's not like it would be the worst thing in the world, and it would be with Peeta. He wouldn't hurt me.

My thoughts are interrupted by Prim's voice. "Lavash!" She runs to him, and he hugs her tightly.

"I was so worried about you," he admits, tears in his eyes.

Prim wipes them away. "I was worried about you, too." She hugs him back, squishing Buttercup between them. "Oh, there's something you need to know." She pulls away and turns to face the rest of us.

Lavash's eyes widen when he spots Peeta. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's very cold," Prim replies softly. "But he will be fine once we warm him up."

"Where's Haymitch?" I ask urgently. "We need a sleeping bag."

Lavash spins around and runs off into the trees. "Follow me!"

We follow him at a much slower pace. My mother can't run due to the dizziness caused by her head injury, and Peeta is barely aware of his surroundings. I have to help him navigate around the many bushes and fallen logs that threaten to trip him.

Prim is keeping pace with Lavash, and they are holding hands so they won't get separated. Buttercup is running alongside them, whining because he isn't getting any attention. The kids are more focused on their mission to find Haymitch than on that annoying cat.

Lavash leads us to a cliff face with a large opening in the rock wall. It's another cave. Haymitch greets us at the entrance. "It's about time you guys showed up." He notices our situation and ushers us inside.

The cave is damp and chilly, but at least it offers us shelter from the elements. I notice many dead-end tunnels that branch off from the main one and expand toward the end. They almost look like rooms.

Haymitch digs around in my backpack until he finds my sleeping bag. "Here. Use this." He tosses it at me.

I catch it and turn to face Peeta, knowing what I must do. The sleeping bag won't warm him enough to save his life, not if he has hypothermia. I pull him along into one of the "rooms" I saw earlier.

"Katniss," he mumbles almost incoherently. "Katniss, you don't have to..."

I ignore him and begin taking off his wet clothing. I start with his shirt, which is easy enough to pull off. Peeta doesn't resist. He's staring at the wall behind me, a confused look on his face. I quickly take off his shoes and socks. But when I touch his pants, he grabs my hand and pulls it away.

"You don't have to. I'm fine."

He must know how uncomfortable this is for me. But if I don't do it, who will? I'm not going to let him die. I can't let him die. "Peeta, I'm doing this whether you like it or not." And then I yank his pants off and toss them aside. I decide to leave his underwear on. That can't hurt, right? "In you go."

Peeta crawls into the sleeping bag and hides his face from me. "I won't look."

I start peeling off my own wet clothing. It's not long before I'm also in my underwear, shivering in the chilly air. I quickly crawl inside the sleeping bag and wrap myself around him.

He nuzzles my neck. "Thank you."

"Don't go to sleep," I warn him.

I can hear my mother and Haymitch talking quietly in the other "room". They are discussion Peeta's condition. "He has hypothermia," my mother says. "If Katniss can't warm him..."

"He will die," Haymitch concludes. "She will save him. Those two survived the Games. A little cold won't kill them."

"I hope you're right," she replies.

I don't want to listen to them anymore, so I return my attention to Peeta. He is lying in my arms, staring up at my face. I kiss his forehead. "Let's play a game."

My suggestion seems to cheer him up. "What sort of game?"

I ruffle his wet hair affectionately. If he does die, I want his last moments to be pleasant. "It's called 'Would You Rather?', " I tell him. "I'll start. Would you rather have Effie's hair or Haymitch's drinking problem?"

Peeta pretends to think it over. "Definitely Haymitch's drinking problem. Neon wigs aren't really my style."

I give him a genuine smile. I would have chosen the drinking problem too. "Good choice. Now it's your turn."

"Would you rather mine coal or learn to bake?"

"Mine coal," I say automatically. "I can't bake. You don't want me to bake." I decide that two can play at this game. "Would you rather mine coal or learn to hunt?"

Peeta's eyes widen in mock surprise. "Me? With a bow? You don't want me near such a deadly weapon." He makes a coughing noise that sounds almost like laughter. "Mine coal."

He is beginning to sound like his usual self, but I know that he is still at death's door. He feels so cold despite my attempt to warm him. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough. "Your turn," I say, pulling him closer to me.

His arms curl around my bare body. "You're so warm," he mutters, closing his eyes.

I have to force myself not to panic. He's going to live. I _won't _let him die. "Stay with me, Peeta. It's your turn."

"Would you rather be here with me or at home?"

"With you, of course," I whisper into his hair. "Always with you."

He pulls away from me so that he can see my face. "Why?"

Is that the hypothermia talking or Peeta? He repeats the question softly, as if he's afraid of the answer. How do I answer him? I decide that it's best to be honest. "Because you are important to me."

"Oh." He seems satisfied with that answer.

We spend the rest of the night nestled in each other's arms, talking softly. He asks me personal questions about myself, and I tell him everything he wants to know. He is happy that I'm opening up to him, and I am happy to be spending time with him. I give him as much affection as I can manage, and he tells me how much he appreciates the attention.

My mother comes to check on him in the morning. "He's doing better," she informs me. "But we still need to keep an eye on him."

"Is he going to live?" I ask.

"Yes," she responds. "He will live as long as his body temperature doesn't drop any lower."


	7. Chapter 7

Pure joy and relief flow through me, slowing my racing heart. I had been prepared for the worst; prepared to lose him for good this time. But I haven't lost him. I've managed to keep him alive, and now I never want to let him go.

I lean over to kiss his lips, which are much warmer now. Life is returning to his once frozen body, and I can't help smiling as he kisses me back. He must have sensed the urgency, the need for him in my kiss because he doesn't hold back. His arms are cradling me close to him, closer than I've ever been. I'm not sure if we are still two separate people or one person who is finally whole.

"You saved my life," he mutters, breaking the kiss.

My mother hands Peeta some liquid medicine. It smells sweet, and I instantly know what it is: sleep medicine. He takes it without protesting, licking his lips to get the final drops into his mouth. She checks his temperature with a thermometer and writes the number down. "Good. You have warmed up quite a bit, and now you need to rest."

"Is it safe for him to sleep?" I brush my fingers through his hair, worried that I might lose him.

She nods. "His body needs rest in order to recover. He should be fine without your help now." My mother hands me some dry clothes. "These are for you two."

I crawl out of the sleeping bag and quickly get dressed. The clothes feel warm against my skin, and I'm grateful to finally have something dry to wear. My wet clothes are still piled up where I left them. I push them aside to deal with later.

I help Peeta put on his dry clothes. This time I need to remove his damp underwear, but I'm not sure I can. My face is already burning at the thought of him being completely naked. Fortunately for me, Peeta doesn't let me suffer through it. He takes the underwear off and tosses it onto the pile. I hand him the dry pair, and he puts it on. "Thanks," I say, feeling embarrassed. I gently slide his pants over his bare legs and cover his one remaining foot with a sock. I save the shirt for last because it is the easiest to get on.

Peeta pulls the sleeping bag around himself and closes his eyes. "I should be thanking you, Katniss," he says sleepily.

"Go to sleep," I whisper into his ear.

He dozes off, and I follow my mother back to the others. Prim and Lavash are sleeping side-by-side with Buttercup keeping watch over them. Haymitch is sitting on a rock next to a small fire, a bottle of white liquor in his hand. The smoke from the fire travels up the cave walls and exits through an opening in the ceiling.

"We need food," he says, taking a swig of the liquor. "And fresh water."

My mother offers to find the water while I go hunting. The air is frigid and nips at my nose, but this weather is nothing I can't handle. At least it's not raining anymore.

I decide to gather some edible berries as I hunt. Once I've got a large pile stashed away in my pockets I begin following deer tracks. I haven't caught a deer in a long time, and a big buck could easily feed the whole group. The tracks lead me to the river, where a young buck is drinking the cold water. He is smaller than I had hoped, but food is food. I aim an arrow at his head and shoot, killing him instantly. I collect my kill and head back to the cave.

On the way there, I see my mother collecting medicinal herbs. A few canteens of fresh water are scattered at her feet. "Do you mind taking these back for me? I might be here awhile."

I scoop up the canteens and grab the buck's antler, dragging him along. "It's no problem. I was heading back there anyway."

I make it to the cave in time to see Prim returning with more berries. "Oh, Katniss, you're just in time."

"In time for what?" I ask, lugging my kill into the cave.

"Breakfast," she replies with a smile.

I set the buck down by the fire and empty my pockets of berries. Prim gathers my berries and hers into one pile and then divides them up. I skin the buck in record time since it is so small, and then I tear off pieces of meat and cook them over the fire.

I want to take some food to Peeta, but Prim tells me I should let him sleep. I agree, and we eat in silence. My mother comes back half-way through the meal, and Prim offers her some cooked deer meat, which she accepts without hesitation. It has been awhile since any of us have eaten.

The only one not eating is Haymitch, who is passed out on the ground. Lavash grabs a stick and pokes his arm with it. "Wake up. We have food." Haymitch catches the stick and yanks it away from him, which causes Lavash to yelp.

Prim jumps to her friend's defense. "He didn't want you to miss out on the food," she tells Haymitch. Lavash retreats to Prim's side, and she pats his shoulder. "I'm sure he didn't mean to scare you."

"I wasn't scared," he argues. "I just wasn't expecting him to wake up."

Lavash seems to be a timid boy. He was so brave when we were in immediate danger, but maybe his bravery was an act for Prim. Growing up with an abusive mother probably didn't help him overcome his nervous personality. He must have spent his childhood in fear of his mother, just like Peeta. Speaking of Peeta, he is so kind and gentle. How exactly are these two sweethearts the product of that awful woman?

I wait a few hours before bringing Peeta some food and water. He opens his eyes as I sit beside him, a small smile on his face. "What did you bring me?" he asks, noticing the food.

"Berries and water." I hold the canteen up to his lips so he can drink from it. "How are you feeling?"

He takes a small sip of water before replying. "Cold," he admits. "But not freezing."

I feed him two berries at a time. His hot breath drifts around my frozen fingers, warming them. I can't help noticing the way his tongue carefully takes the berries from me, as if he is afraid I'll disappear along with the food. "Peeta..."

"I'd feel better," he begins, patting the spot next to him, "if you were here beside me."

The berries are forgotten as I crawl into the sleeping bag with him. His arms are quick to encircle my body and pull me close to him. I can hear the steady beat of his heart as I rest my head against his chest. It's not long before I'm carried off into a peaceful sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

I am startled awake by the sound of growling. Wait... growling? That can't be good. I reach for my bow only to realize that it isn't by my side. Damn! I grab the next best thing: a rock. It won't do much good against a vicious beast, but maybe my death will give the others a chance to escape.

Peeta stirs beside me. "What's making that noise?" He looks to me for an answer, but all I can do is shrug. It can be anything.

I crawl out of the sleeping bag and make my way toward the entrance of the tunnel. I peer out into the main tunnel and nearly shrink back in fear. A cougar is standing about three yards from me, sniffing at some blood left by the deer I killed earlier.

I see movement in my peripheral vision and quickly realize it's Peeta. "What are you doing?"

"I think I can get to our weapons without it noticing me," he says.

"No," I whisper angrily. I know how predators work. As soon as he moves, the cougar will see him and attack. If he runs, it will give chase. "Let me handle it."

"You can't be serious. All you've got is a rock!" He makes an attempt to take it from me but ends up knocking it out of my hand. The rock slips through my fingers and crashes to the ground.

We stare at the rock in stunned silence. My temper flares and I'm about to yell at him when I remember the situation we're in. The cougar has already been alerted to our presence, and my voice will only draw more attention to us.

Peeta's hands are shaking as he bends down to pick it up. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

I see a strange determination in his blue eyes, as if he has made up his mind about something. What is he planning to do? I search his face for answers, and that's when I see the sad smile on his lips. He's going to sacrifice himself for me!

He walks out of the tunnel before I can stop him. "Katniss, I love you."

The cougar's eyes lock onto his, and they stare each other down for what seems like hours. Then the beast takes a few slow steps forward, making a low growling sound. It stops about a yard away from him and waits patiently for him to make the first move.

Peeta stands motionless in front of the cougar, his arms raised defensively. It's going to kill him! He's going to die saving my life, and that is _not _okay with me. How dare he be so willing to sacrifice himself for me! My life isn't more important than his.

The beast decides that it's tired of waiting and gets ready to pounce. At the last second, I leap out from my hiding spot and tackle Peeta to the ground, successfully protecting him from the lethal attack. "Peeta Mellark, how dare you consider leaving me!" The words are barely out of my mouth when I feel its paw on my back. This is it. It will go for my neck, and I will die rather quickly.

I brace myself for an attack that never comes. The weight lifts from my back, followed by a thud. The cougar is lying on the ground, dead from a wound to the chest. Haymitch saunters over to it and retrieves a knife that is lodged in its body. He wipes it clean.

"Did you ever think of killing it?" he asks angrily. "Coming back from scouting the area to find one of you dead and the other crying isn't something I want to deal with!" His face softens when he sees our frightened expressions. "I get it. You were just trying to protect each other." Haymitch grabs the cougar and drags it outside before we can respond.

Peeta forces a laugh. "Did he just lecture us on how not to fight a cougar?"

I can feel my anger rising again, threatening to spill out of every pore in my body. "Don't you _ever _sacrifice yourself for me." Then I do something unexpected: I slap him across the face.

"Katniss..." He touches the red mark I left on his cheek.

I swiftly get to my feet and retreat into the forest before I start crying in front of him. The tears are streaming down my face by the time I reach the trees, where Haymitch is disposing of the cougar's body. He gives me a hard look, as if asking me what I've done now.

"I don't want to talk about it," I say as I pass by.

I find a nice tree to sit in while I cry. The cougar attack made me realize just how powerless I really am. Without my bow, I couldn't even protect Peeta from an overgrown cat! I would have died if Haymitch hadn't shown up. If I die, who will keep the others safe? I can't rely on Haymitch, because he brought his liquor with him. My mother doesn't know much about the forest; and Prim and Lavash are just kids. That only leaves Peeta...

I don't want to leave this weight on someone else's shoulders. The burden of keeping my loved ones alive is mine to bare. I've done a pretty good job so far. Lavash has a broken arm, but it will heal; my mother has a head injury, but it isn't too severe; Peeta nearly died from hypothermia, but I kept him warm. I can protect them. I _have _to protect them.

We have been wandering since we escaped District 12, but that ends now. I will find us a permanent place to live, somewhere we can call home. We will build shelters to sleep in; an infirmary where my mother can treat the sick or injured; and a pantry where we can store food. It will be like our own little town.

After hours of solitude, Prim comes to visit me. "Everyone is worried about you, Katniss."

I climb down from the tree, my eyes swollen from crying. "I'm sorry to worry you, little duck."

She offers me a small smile and holds out her hands. "Here. For you. I thought you might be hungry." Prim drops some blackberries into my palm, and I quickly stuff them into my mouth.

"Thanks."

She notices my puffy eyes and frowns. "Why were you crying? Is it because of us?"

Truthfully, I had been crying because I was unable to keep them safe, but I have kept them alive. I've never mentioned my fears to anyone, let alone my little sister. There isn't any reason for her to think that. "Of course not."

"Even I know that you're better off without us," she says calmly. "You could easily survive in the forest alone."

It's true. I can survive on my own, but what would be the point of living without the others? I brought them with me to keep them out of danger. District 12 has become a place of cruelty and violence. I didn't want any of them to be tortured by the peacekeepers while I escaped alone. "I could never leave you behind."

"I know what you're doing. You're looking after us, but who will be looking after you?" She reaches out to take my hand. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you."


	9. Chapter 9

It takes me several days to find the perfect spot for our new home. I lead the others to a large clearing surrounded by towering pines. There's a pond in the middle of it that is overflowing with lilies, and the grass is soft and smooth against my fingers. The river is only a few miles away from here. Prim finds some blackberry bushes growing just outside the clearing, near the river.

"Katniss, look." She carefully picks one and holds it up for me to see. "Blackberries."

Haymitch lifts a stick off the ground. "We can make shelters out of sticks, vines, and leaves"

"It's settled, then. The first thing we need to do is build shelters," Peeta says. "Haymitch, Katniss, Mrs. Everdeen, and I will start collecting the necessary materials. Prim and Lavash can gather berries."

I head off with my assigned group to find materials. Fallen branches are easy to come by in the forest, and I have collected a large pile of them in less than an hour. I take my sticks back to the clearing and leave them there while I go to find more. My mother is collecting vines and leaves. I wave to her as I pass by, but she doesn't seem to notice me. As I bend down to pick up a branch I see Peeta dragging one behind him.

"You'll never guess what just happened," he says. "This thing fell from a tree and landed next to me. It's a good thing I wasn't standing a little more to the left."

"You should be careful," I tell him. "A branch that size can easily kill someone."

He offers me a smile. "I will."

It takes us until nightfall to collect enough wood to build a few shelters. We decide to start working on them in the morning. I wonder how many we will need to build. Prim, Mom, and I can share one. Peeta and Lavash can also share a shelter. Haymitch will have his own, of course. That means that we will only have to construct three of them. I also want us to build an infirmary for the sick and a pantry for our food.

Everyone wakes up bright and early to begin building what will be our new homes. Haymitch demonstrates how to set them up. We need to stand the sticks up and secure them with the vines. Then we use mud to cover the spaces between them with leaves. The remaining leaves will serve as our beds.

It takes us awhile to get the hang of it. Lavash is holding his shelter together while he waits for Peeta to finish tying it with a vine. It's not long before Peeta's prosthetic leg slips on the grass and he falls into a heap on the sticks, taking his brother down with him. My family isn't doing much better. Prim can't seem to get a firm grip on the larger sticks, and they end up falling right out of her hands. Haymitch has to help us tie them together.

We build two adequate shelters on one side of the pond for my family and Peeta's and one shelter on the other side for Haymitch. We decide that the pantry will be built an equal distance between our houses and Haymitch's house. The infirmary will be the farthest building away from us, near the edge of the clearing.

We spend the rest of the day gathering more materials to build the other two facilities. The construction of the infirmary begins at dawn the next morning. It needs to be large and safe for my mother to house the sick and injured. We spend hours working on it until she is satisfied with it. The pantry takes us only twenty minutes to set up. We put a divider in the middle to separate meat and edible plants.

Haymitch crafts us a table and some chairs so we can play cards. I'm a little surprised that he brought a deck of cards with him, but that's nothing compared to what Peeta brought. Peeta sets up a chess board and asks Haymitch if he would like to play the game with him. It's not long before the two are completely immersed in the strategy game.

Prim and I build a bench near the pond. It's a great place to relax and gaze at the lilies. We sit there for hours while the beautiful scenery washes away our worries.

As the days pass by, everyone falls into a steady routine. We wake up at dawn, collect food and water, eat, relax, and go to bed at dusk. Haymitch scouts the area twice a day for dangerous animals or peacekeepers. My mother goes out into the forest every once in awhile to collect medicinal herbs. Her head injury healed pretty quickly once she was able to rest. Lavash's broken arm has also healed, and he is now the person we call on to patch up a damaged building.

Our lives are peaceful for about a month, and then our little group is hit with a strange virus. I was the first one to catch it. It starts out acting like the flu, but it eventually causes violent outbursts and strange hallucinations that remind me of when I was stung by tracker jackers. I can't help wondering if it was created by the Capitol in an attempt to wipe us out.

"I brought you some food," Peeta says as he hands me what looks like a handful of flies.

"Blackberries?" I asks, tentatively taking one. It feels like a berry.

"Yeah." He sits down and begins feeding them to me.

Peeta has been caring for me ever since I fell ill two days ago. He stops by in the morning and evening to bring me food. I often wake up from a nap to see him lying beside me, a worried look on his face. It's lonely sleeping in the infirmary, so Peeta has moved in with me. I fear that he will catch whatever it is I have.

"Has anyone else gotten sick?"

He frowns. "Well... Prim has a persistent cough, but your mother said it could just be a cold."

He's just saying that to calm me down, but it isn't working. This disease starts out as a cough and then gets much worse over time. Prim could be my roommate in a matter of days. "Keep an eye on her, okay?"

"Lavash is watching out for her. Don't worry." He slowly leans down to kiss my forehead. "Katniss, Haymitch thinks we might need to go back to District 12..."

"No," I say decisively. "It's too dangerous."

"Your mother agrees with him." His fingers trail down my back, making me feel a bit relaxed. "You could die without the proper medicine, and Haymitch seems to think we'll find it back home."

I look up at him, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. "Who else is going on this suicide mission?"

Peeta doesn't answer me for a long time. There is a fearful look in his eyes, almost like he is afraid to tell me. "Just Haymitch... and me."

* * *

><p>Hello! I hope you all are enjoying the story. Don't be surprised if the point of view changes from Katniss' to Peeta's for a chapter or two. I'll give you another heads up when it happens. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

This chapter is in Peeta's point of view.

* * *

><p>We sneak off in the dead of night, while the others are asleep. I feel guilty about leaving Katniss without saying goodbye, but she will try and stop me if I wake her. I have to find some medicine for her and for Prim, who now sleeps in the infirmary with the same illness as her sister.<p>

Haymitch has an idea of what the illness might be. The Capitol created a virus during the first rebellion that drastically reduced the population in all the districts. It was called the 'Fury', and it would attack the mind. It caused strange hallucinations that would eventually drive its victims mad with rage. Those who caught it would fight each other to the death, hence the reason it was called the Fury.

It was created using tracker jacker venom and some unknown chemicals. We can use the leaves that draw out tracker jacker poison to cure it, but the leaves don't grow around here. We also need some type of anti-inflammatory medicine to bring down the swelling of the brain that is caused by the disease.

Haymitch seems to think that the Capitol released the disease into the forest in order to kill us off. That's a good way to do it too, because then they don't have to search for us. Unfortunately for them, we won't give up so easily.

It takes us four days to reach District 12. Once we get there, Haymitch informs me that the fence is alive with electricity. We throw stones at it, hoping to short-circuit it. It doesn't work. We end up having to climb a nearby tree and jump over the fence. Haymitch lands on his feet, but I fall flat on my back.

"You okay, boy?" he asks, helping me up.

"Yeah."

We stare at the state of our home district in utter horror. It's the middle of the day, but the streets are empty. Windows are either boarded up or barred. Dried blood stains the pavement, making the streets look like a battlefield. I can hear screams of pain coming from within the maze of houses.

"What happened?" I ask in shock.

Haymitch's voice is cold. "We happened. Let's get the medicine and go."

We make our way to a well-known doctor's office and sneak inside. I grab a bottle filled with anti-inflammatory medicine, and Haymitch quickly finds the leaves. We hurry out of the building before anyone notices us.

That's when I catch a glimpse of the bakery and my mother. There is a strange look on her face that I can't place. Our eyes meet. "We need to go. Now!"

"I found them!" she shouts. "Over here! The runaways!"

Haymitch grabs my arm and drags me into an alley as peacekeepers storm the area. "That was your mother, wasn't it, boy?"

A sense of betrayal and shame overcomes me. "Yes."

Just when I think we've been spotted, the mayor's daughter crawls over to us. "This way," she says softly.

She leads us down the alley and toward her house. When the coast is clear, Madge opens the door and ushers us inside. There are two other people in her house: Delly and Gale.

"What are you doing back here?" Gale asks coldly. "Where's Katniss?"

Before I can respond, Delly runs over to me and gives me a big hug. "Peeta! It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you, Delly," I say.

Gale crosses his arms. "Well?"

"We had to come back," I tell him. "Katniss and Prim needed medicine."

"I hope they are alright," Delly says to me.

Haymitch peeks out the window and instantly ducks down, motioning for us to do the same. "What's happened since we left?"

Madge and Gale exchange a look. "They've tightened security," she says grimly.

Delly clasps her hands together, tears streaming down her face. "It's awful! They interrogated everyone who knew you guys. Peeta, I'm so sorry about your older brother. He... he didn't survive the interrogation."

Now I understand the strange look in my mother's eyes. It was a mixture of rage, hatred, and disbelief. I hang my head, grief-stricken. I should have convinced him to come with us, but instead I left him behind to die. "And my father?"

She places a hand on my shoulder. "He shared the same fate as your brother. I'm sorry. They left your mother alone once they realized how little she knew."

"Didn't stop them from killing my whole family," Gale responds angrily. "I should have gotten them out when I had the chance!"

"Or mine," Madge adds.

I look up at Delly, wondering if her family suffered a similar fate. She drops to her knees and nods. "Yes, they're gone. All three of us were orphaned overnight. Don't blame yourself, Peeta. It isn't your fault."

"It's ours," Gale agrees. "Katniss asked me to come with her, but I refused. I refused so that I could rebel against the Capitol! My family... I should have sent them with her."

Madge brings us some canned beans. "We want to come with you."

"All of you?" Haymitch asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Delly says, looking down at her can of food. "I want to go with you. I can't stay here any longer. It's horrible."

Madge nods in agreement. "I'm going as well."

Everybody turns to look at Gale, who immediately averts his gaze. "You can't leave right away. The peacekeepers will catch you. I'll think it over while we wait until nightfall."

Delly brings her backpack over to me. It's stuffed with clothes, blankets, and books. "I didn't know what to bring. This was all I had left."

Madge hands her a flashlight. "Don't forget this."

"We could use some food for the road," Haymitch tells them. "It will take us four days to get back, maybe more with the new additions to our group."

Delly and Madge collect food and pile it up in the living room. I begin packing cans of beans, fruit, and soup into a spare backpack. This should last us for at least a week.

Once the sun sets, we head out into the streets and make our way to the fence. It's still active, preventing us from touching it. We find a tree branch that hangs over the fence and into the district. Gale ties a rock to a rope and tosses it up into the tree, where it wraps around the branch. He tugs on it to make sure it's sturdy.

"Okay. Up you go." He hands the rope to Madge. "Don't accidentally touch the fence with your feet."

It takes her several agonizing minutes to make it into the tree. She drops to the ground and turns to face us. "It isn't too hard," she assures Delly.

Delly climbs up even slower than Madge had. She nearly falls when the branch bends under her weight. "Um, so I just jump?" With an encouraging word from Madge, Delly leaps to the ground.

I hand Haymitch the medicine, and he easily climbs the rope and jumps down beside the girls. "Are you coming?" I ask Gale.

Before he can answer, gunshots ring out through the night. Peacekeeper after peacekeeper run toward us, forming a line in front of us. A firing squad.

"Come on, boy!" Haymitch shouts as he leads the girls away.

I focus my attention on Gale. He is Katniss' best friend, and I can't leave him to die. "Let's go! They're going to kill us."

"We'll never make it," he argues. "Not both of us. You go. She needs you."

Does he mean Katniss? She will never forgive me if I let Gale die, and I will never forgive myself for saving my life at the cost of his. I shake my head and grab his arm. "I'm not leaving you behind. Now get up there!"

A bullet grazes my cheek as the peacekeepers fire at us from a distance. I shove Gale toward the rope, and he climbs up it without hesitating. He waits for me in the tree. "Hurry!"

I grab the rope and begin pulling myself up. The peacekeepers shoot at my hands, successfully injuring both of them, but I don't let go of the rope. Gale reaches down to grab my hand and help me into the tree.

"We can't lead them back to the others," I say.

Gale gives me a look before jumping out of the tree. "Then we'll distract them. Come on!"

I follow him into the woods.

* * *

><p>Even though Gale is now in the story, there isn't going to be a love-triangle between him, Katniss, and Peeta. I never saw Gale as anything more than Katniss' close friend.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

This chapter is also in Peeta's point of view.

* * *

><p>I quickly realize that I can't keep up with him. My prosthetic leg makes it hard to run as fast as I need to. The peacekeepers are catching up to me, firing their guns at my legs. A bullet grazes my good leg, and I fall to the ground.<p>

I'm going to die! They're going to shoot me full of holes until I'm dead. I'll never make it back to Lavash and Katniss. I'll never see them again, and they won't ever know what happened to me. I'll be nothing more than a memory to them.

One peacekeeper reaches me before the others and points a gun at my head. When he is about to pull the trigger, a rock makes contact with his face and breaks his nose. He drops the gun, and Gale grabs it.

"Move!" he shouts at me.

I get to my feet, ignoring the pain in my leg, and I follow him as quickly as I can. The peacekeepers are right behind us, firing shots that barely miss our swerving bodies. A hovercraft appears above us, and objects are thrown from the sky.

I'm barely able to dodge what looks like a spear when a bomb goes off, sending me flying into the bushes. I'm winded but otherwise uninjured. Gale falls to the ground beside me, bruised and bleeding. Upon closer inspection, his wounds are superficial and little cause for concern.

They must think we're dead because they pass over us really quickly, heading toward the others. I help Gale to his feet and we take off after it. We run for miles until we catch up with Haymitch and the girls.

"They sent a hovercraft after us!" Delly says loudly.

"Keep your voice down! We're sill being chased," Haymitch snaps at her.

She covers her mouth with her hands. "Sorry."

Madge looks up through the tree branches, her eyes locked on the hovercraft. "How are we supposed to get away from it?"

"We run," Haymitch tells her. "Run and hope it doesn't catch us."

And that's what we do. We run until the sun comes up, and then we hide in the foliage until it sets. It's been hours seen we've heard from the peacekeepers. Have they given up so easily? No. Why chase after us on foot when they can shoot at us from above?

We move slowly through the trees during the day, hiding from any sound we hear, and then we take off running once night comes. It's harder for them to see us in the dark, but trekking through the woods at night means that we may fall victim to any number of dangers. And on top of that, we are barely getting any sleep.

"I need to rest," Delly says sheepishly.

Madge collapses onto the ground. "Me too."

"Five minutes," Haymitch agrees.

I'm concerned that we've veered off coarse in an attempt to escape the hovercraft. There hasn't been any sign of it for two whole days. "I think it's safe to say that they're not following us anymore."

"Or if they are, we've managed to evade them," Gale says.

I nod in agreement. "However, I think we're farther from the village now than we were before."

"Village?" Delly repeats. "What village?"

"The one we've made for ourselves." I draw a map in the dirt. "We followed the river upstream and then headed north. We don't even know where the river is now."

Haymitch takes a few steps away from us. "Then our first objective is to find the river."

After the five minutes are up, Haymitch leads us in a random direction. It doesn't really matter which way we go. None of us knows exactly where we are, anyway. It takes us until dawn to find the river. We follow it upstream until the trees begin to thin out, and then we head north. After three more days, we make it to the cave where Katniss and I fought the cougar.

"Six days," Haymitch sighs in frustration. "It took us six days to get here, and it will take us at least two more to get to the village! We've been gone for over a week."

"But we're almost there now," Delly says soothingly.

Madge frowns. "A lot can happen in a week."

I'm worried about Katniss and Prim. If Lavash and Mrs. Everdeen also catch the disease, there will be no one to look after them. "We need to get the medicine back to the others."

It takes exactly two days to get to the village from the cave. Once we are there, I'm horrified by the sight of the others. Katniss and Prim are tied up with vines. Lavash and Ms. Everdeen have scratches on their faces and arms.

"Thank goodness you're back!" Ms. Everdeen rushes over to us. "Did you get the medicine?"

Haymitch hands her the leaves and the pills. "If I remember correctly, the leaves are supposed to be crushed up and ingested."

"What happened?" I ask Lavash.

There are tears in his eyes. "Prim and Katniss attacked us! And then they started fighting each other. It was terrifying!"

Ms. Everdeen focuses on crushing the leaves, and Gale rushes over to help her. Madge goes to sit beside Katniss and watches her as she sleeps. Haymitch starts chugging white liquor, much to everyone's annoyance. I have the heartbreaking task of telling Lavash about our brother and our father. Delly helps me comfort him when he starts sobbing uncontrollably.

It takes a full twenty-four hours for Katniss and Prim to show signs over recovery. The crazed look in there eyes is replaced by one of confusion. After a few more days of rest, they are allowed to leave the infirmary and return to their home.

While they were recovering, Lavash and I built shelters for our newest members. We set up Gale's next to Haymitch's house and Madge's next to Katniss'. After some debate, Delly's house was built next to Gale's. Everyone agreed that the village should look as symmetrical as possible, and that meant we had to have three shelters on each side of the pond.


	12. Chapter 12

The story is back in Katniss' point of view.

* * *

><p>It's been a few weeks since Haymitch and Peeta have returned with three new mouths to feed. Thankfully, I'm no longer the only hunter in the group. Gale can help me catch enough prey to sustain the nine of us.<p>

Madge has taken to helping Haymitch scout the area. She is surprisingly good at tracking down dangerous animals for him to kill. They also keep watch for any hovercrafts that happen to fly by. The two of them have successfully warned us of several crafts in the last few days.

Delly has been helping Peeta come up with ways to conceal our village. They have planted tall grass to make the area look less well kept, and they have fashioned our shelters to look more like piles of sticks. From up in the trees, it really does appear to be a normal clearing.

Buttercup keeps the rodent population from taking over our village. I allow him to eat his fill of mice and voles so that I don't have to feed him. At least the dumb cat can catch his own food.

"Incoming hovercraft!" Madge shouts as she bursts into the village with Haymitch.

Peeta glances around the immediate area. "Mrs. Everdeen and Gale are out in the woods. Lavash, can you warn them?"

"I'm on it!" Lavash dashes off into the trees to find them.

Prim scoops up Buttercup and rushes to my side. "Where are we going to hide this time?"

"The creek," I tell her. The undergrowth is thicker by the creek, and I think we can make it there without being spotted. "Let's go."

Everyone takes off running, and I have to remind them to scatter. If we're in a big group, the hovercraft will see us for sure. It's not long before an unnatural wind nearly knocks me off my feet. It's right above us, but we're nearly there. We have to keep going.

Madge drags Delly into the bushes, and Prim is quick to follow them inside. Haymitch hides himself in the muddy creek water as I tackle Peeta into a pile of leaves. I hope the others found a place to hide, because the hovercraft will be over the village in a matter of seconds.

We remind in our hiding spots for a long time, waiting for a sign that the coast is clear. What we get instead is a loud explosion. Peeta's arms are around me in an instant, protecting me. I cling to him as the ground shakes underneath us.

"Katniss!" Prim calls from the bushes. "Mom, Gale, and Lavash are out there!"

Madge peeks out from behind Prim. "I'd bet money that they bombed the village."

"Try to at least sound concerned," Haymitch mumbles as he crawls out of the creek. "I guess we'd better see what happened."

"No," Peeta says instantly. "They want to draw us out of hiding."

I look at him in amazement. I had been too worried about the others to even consider that possibility. "He's right. That's obviously what they're doing."

Haymitch gives us a look. "I'm the adult here, and I agree with the boy."

Madge lightly slugs him in the arm. "We need an adult who isn't always intoxicated."

I hear footsteps heading our way. Is it the others? No. There is something intimidating about the heavy steps that move ever closer as we speak. "Quiet! Someone's coming."

Everyone ducks back into the undergrowth as two peacekeepers march by. "Do you really think there are people living out here?"

"Yes," his companion replies. "Snow has confirmed that it is the victors of last year's Games and their friends. We need to eliminate them. Our orders are to capture the women and shoot the men on sight."

Once they are gone, Peeta glances over at Haymitch "Why shoot us on sight?"

He shrugs. "Don't want to deal with us, I guess."

Delly emerges from the bushes, a frightened look on her face. "What do you think they're going to do to us?"

"Nothing," Haymitch assures her. "We're not sticking around to find out. Come on, everyone. We need to regroup and clear the area."

Everyone agrees to let the only adult here take the lead, and he does a pretty good job of protecting us. Haymitch throws rocks in different directions to mislead the peacekeepers. It works for awhile, until they decide to start shooting in all directions.

Bullets fly everywhere, scarring the vegetation in the area. Peeta pushes me against a tree, using his body to shield me. Everyone else drops to the ground and covers their heads. The gunfire ceases after a minute or two. Fortunately, no one in our group is injured.

Gale shows up moments later with my mother and Lavash. "Did you hear the bomb go off?"

I nod. "It hit the village, didn't it?"

"No. They haven't found it yet," he tells me. "We were likely their targets."

This isn't good. If we stay here, the peacekeepers might stumble upon the village. It's our safe haven. We need to keep them away from it. "We can't let them find the village."

"Should we split up?" Madge asks.

Haymitch snorts. "And make it easier for them to gun us down? No. They want the women alive. We'll have a better chance of surviving if we stick together."

I turn to face the group. "Pair up. If we do end up getting separated, I want everyone to have a partner."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, sweetheart, but there are nine of us. Do the math. We can't pair up," Haymitch informs me.

His snide remark angers me. "Then there will obviously have to be a group of three. Gale, go with Prim and Lavash. Haymitch, you'll be paired with my mother."

"You and me," Peeta pipes up.

"Right. Peeta and I will be a pair, as will Madge and Delly. Don't let your partner out of your sight." With that said, I lead everyone toward the river.

The hovercraft creates a crater as it lands near us, crushing the trees underneath it. A loud voice rings out across the forest, startling the wildlife. "Come out, Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark. You can't hide forever." That's Snow's voice. Has the president himself traveled all this way just to find us? News of our escape must have reached the other districts and caused an uproar. Snow intends to use us as an example to silence the rising rebellion.

"No way," Delly gasps. "That can't be President Snow, can it?"

I motion for everyone to back away from the hovercraft. "We can't worry about that right now. Quickly, run in the opposite direction." They do as they are told, leaving Peeta and I to deal with Snow.

He turns to me with a grim look on his face. "Should we run?"

"No," I say firmly. "We need to give the others a chance to escape. Let's pay Snow a little visit."

He takes my hand in his. "Ready?"

"Ready."


	13. Chapter 13

Snow looks down at us from atop the hovercraft. "Ah, Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark. Good of you to join us." He motions to the peacekeepers on the ground. "Have you come to surrender?"

I suddenly remember that their orders are to shoot the men on sight. Peeta! I shove him behind me and raise my arms in a defensive position. "I'd rather _die _than surrender!"

He shakes his head at my outburst. "You don't get the luxury of death, Ms. Everdeen. Men, capture her."

The peacekeepers march forward until they form a circle around us. Peeta is ignored for the time being as the men focus their attention on me. I struggle in vain against the arms that drag me toward the hovercraft. I'm thrust to the ground in front of it.

"Don't hurt her!" Peeta shouts from behind us. "Please."

Why hasn't he fled? He could have escaped while they were capturing me. He could have ran and lived. "Let him go, Snow. The others won't survive without me. I'm the only hunter in the group." That's a lie. Gale can hunt just as well as I can. He will keep the others alive long after I'm gone.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. The extermination of your little group will set an example to the other districts. Defying the Capitol is not an option." He disappears inside the craft and then reappears on the ground minutes later, standing beside me.

I lung forward without thinking and claw at his legs. I am rewarded with a kick to the chest. He strikes me over and over until I fall into the dirt, defeated.

"You are nothing more than a pitiful child." He places his foot on my back, insuring that I won't be able to get up.

"Cover your head, Katniss!"

I don't have time to make sense of Peeta's words before we are pelted with rocks. The peacekeeper to my right is struck in the head and falls forward, knocking Snow to the ground. This is my chance to get away. I take cover under the wing of the hovercraft as guns begin firing into the trees.

Madge tumbles out of a nearby tree, her body covered in blood. Is she dead? Haymitch leaps out of the bushes and gathers her injured body into his arms. He gives me a look before fleeing into the forest. He wants me to follow him.

I carefully make my way over to Peeta. "We have to get out of here. The others are risking their lives for us."

A scream draws my attention away from him and to the trees. Prim is on the ground, staring up at an armed peacekeeper. Before he can shoot, Lavash runs to my sister's aid and carries her away.

"Kill them all," Snow orders.

An unnatural silence falls as the peacekeepers reload their guns. Peeta and I take this opportunity to escape into the forest. We barely make it to the trees before the gunfire starts up again.

Gale jumps to the ground in front of us. "I can't find Delly!"

"Is she the only one missing?" I ask.

He nods. "The others have gone to regroup by the river. I'll stay behind to look for her."

"So will I," Peeta says. "She's been my friend for years."

I offer to help them search for her, but I am told to go on ahead and rejoin the others. I make my way through the undergrowth, occasionally ducking behind trees when I hear gunshots. I find the others waiting for me in the bushes that surround the river.

Prim gives me a big hug. "You're safe."

I wrap my arms around her. "Thanks to you and our friends, little duck."

"New rule," Haymitch says. "No one is allowed to confront Snow or the peacekeepers. Let's keep our distance from them."

"I second the motion," Gale agrees as he makes his way toward us.

Delly is leaning against Peeta for support. Her face is twisted in pain, and blood drips from a wound on her leg. I rush to help her. "Thank you, Katniss."

Peeta and I guide her to my mother, who is currently bandaging Madge's injuries. She looks up and shakes her head. "If the bullet is in the wound, it will need to be removed." Then she returns her attention to the unconscious girl in front of her. "Let me finish patching her up first."

"Will she make it?" I ask. Madge's body looks bloody and broken. She must have been hit with multiple bullets.

My mother's face is grim. "Not if there is internal bleeding. I don't have the necessary supplies to treat injuries of that nature."

I do a quick count of the injured. Madge is unconscious on the ground; Delly has a leg injury; Haymitch is clutching his side. "Besides Haymitch and Delly, is anyone else injured?"

Lavash grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls it down, revealing his bloody shoulder. He blinks away tears as Prim rushes over to him.

Prim collects a clean cloth and some bandages and begins tending to it. "It's a superficial wound," she tells him. "You'll be fine."

"Prim, can you take a look at Delly's leg for me? I need to check Haymitch." My mother places a blanket over Madge and then gets up.

"Sure." She finishes up with Lavash and heads over to Delly. "Let's see..." She cleans the blood from her leg. "I'll need to remove the bullet."

While my mother and sister help the injured, I keep watch for peacekeepers. It's not long before I hear angry voices in the distance. They will find us in no time if we stay here. We need to get moving. "They're coming."

My mother continues working on Haymitch. "This isn't good. Madge is in no condition to be moved. We need to get back to the village and hide out there."

"That seems to be our only option," Haymitch agrees.

Prim patches up Delly's leg and leads her over to Peeta and I. "Take her back with you."

We help her limp back to the village. Gale, Prim, and Lavash silently follow us. My mother and Haymitch are still by the river with Madge. I hope they decide on a safe way to carry her before the peacekeepers find them.

As we enter the village, the hovercraft flies directly over our heads. Everyone rushes to their shelters to hide from it. I hold Prim tightly as the wind from the craft nearly blows our home down.

"Mom isn't back yet," she whispers.

I can barely hear her over the noise of the craft. "Don't worry. She's with Haymitch."

Once it is gone, Haymitch and my mother slowly walk into the clearing with Madge's unconscious body dangling between them. They carry her to the infirmary and gently set her down.

We stay hidden in our shelters until nightfall. Peacekeepers have wandered by without spotting us or the village, much to my relief. The hovercraft has flown above us twice in the last few hours, but we have somehow managed to stay out of view.

At around midnight, Snow's voice can be heard throughout the forest. "My patience is wearing thin. Come out now, or suffer a fate worse than death."


End file.
